The Impact of Toxic Chemicals on the Developing Brain

The impact of toxic chemicals is usually subtle for an individual child, but it can be substantial at the population level. Low-level exposures to toxic chemicals -- such as lead, tobacco, pesticides and flame retardants – are implicated in preterm birth, intellectual deficits and behavioural problems. Yet, too little has been done to protect children from these ubiquitous, but insidious toxic chemicals.